The Final Week of Uchiha Sasuke
by Seto's Darkness
Summary: Sasuke has finally attained his goal. He got rid of Orochimaru from his body, but in doing so, his body started to degenerate rapidly. What is he to do, when he has but one week left to live? And Naruto's assigned to watch over him? [SasuNaru yaoi]


**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything.

**Warnings: **Yaoi. Shounen-Ai. SasuNaru. Spoilers. Screwing-up with the possible ending of Naruto XD;; mild violence, mild language, anything that you'd associate with SasuNaru :D And, this is **not tragedy**, because I heart happy endings.

**Authoresses' Notes:** Sorry for the delay. Announcements and explanations at my profile page :) Thanks to everybody who email-ed, PM'd, IM'd me. Special thanks to: _StarsofYaoi, Wing It, Gonrie_ and _Konoko89_ for giving suggestions, opinions and criticisms on my fics and plot bunnies :D

**Promotions: **Please join the C2 for the OTP in Naruto: SasuNaru and NaruSasu: _SasuNaru Shounen ai and Yaoi Heaven_. Please join _my_ forum for Filipino yaoi-shounen-ai enthusiasts. Links are **on my profile**.

This is just the prologue; the whole fic would be around 7-8 chapters. Enjoy reading :)

* * *

"Handle him with care!" One oddly-familiar voice cried, and the hands carrying and touching him were suddenly with gentleness. He hated gentleness. He was an S-rank missing-nin; he shouldn't be handled with care. He tried flexing his hands, but he found out that he couldn't really feel much.

"A-ah, let's just move faster, shall we?" Another voice.

"We know that, Kakashi-sensei!" A female's voice, the same one who wanted him to be handled with care. His body felt heavy, numb. Was he finally going to die?

It didn't matter.

He has killed Itachi, even though he had to resort to leaving the only place that offered him friendship and solace, even though he had to make a risky deal with the Snake Sannin. A day after Itachi's death, he found himself face-to-face with Orochimaru. The Snake Sannin didn't seem to want to wait for him to recover. It was like Orochimaru felt his plan of escaping as soon as he healed his most mortal wounds from his encounter with his older brother.

But he wasn't foolish, unlike... somebody he knew. He knew of Orochimaru's plans before he even betrayed Konoha. He already did his research on rejecting a forced body-take-over technique. He didn't have any time to test its effectiveness though, since Orochimaru got impatient.

"Team A, close his wounds!"

"Team B, replace the lost blood!"

"Team C... just move the hell faster, would you?!"

"I'll regulate his heartbeat," The woman medic-nin stated wearily, and Uchiha Sasuke felt a warm ball of _chakra_ placed above his heart.

He wanted to ask why were they saving him. For interrogation? For punishment? For his power? Or maybe they were going to recruit him to help them kill the whole of Akatsuki?

He didn't want to help them. They shouldn't help him.

He tried his best to open his chapped lips. Did Sakura think that by saving him from this wounds, she could bring him back? Did she still hope that he could look at her, with nothing but love in his blood-stained eyes?

He wanted to tell them to stay the hell away from him. He was dangerous. He was in danger. It would be a lot better if they just let things be. He wanted to know if his technique in rejecting Orochimaru worked.

He wanted to open his eyes. He knew the Mangekyou Sharingan was still there. That would scare them away. He didn't need them. He never needed them.

When he was finally able to open his lips -lips that taunted and patronized his enemies; lips that spoke words and incantations of various techniques, most of them A-rank, or forbidden- he was able to say one word. Only one, but it was like a word that encompassed all his broken dreams and past wants. He never meant to say that word, but maybe he wanted to. Wanted to, but was never allowed to.

His voice sounded like a man who hasn't drank water for a week. His voice sounded like he was dying, slowly becoming a mere fringe of reality.

"Naruto..."

There was a sudden halt in the buzz of movement in the medic-nins and the surrounding Konoha ninjas. Sasuke, if he had the strength, would have loved to kick himself. There was a loud gasp, and Sasuke presumed it came from Sakura.

Sasuke felt his hand being held by callused palms, warm and safe.

"I'm here, teme." The voice was relieved and worried, at the same time.

"I'm right here."

* * *

**The Final Week of Uchiha Sasuke**

**Prologue: Zero

* * *

**

He hated hospitals.

It reminded him of the fights and bickering he had with his blond teammate years ago; it reminded him of the place where he woke up after Itachi betrayed him.

He hated being alone here. He already had enough time to reminisce how Itachi looked _peaceful_ when he delivered the killing blow. He already had enough time to recall how he performed the rejection spell. He has replayed his life in his mind for the nth time, and he didn't feel like doing so again.

He already had enough to regret, and he didn't feel like thinking of those right now.

His hair grew long, but he never had time to bother about that. He may have been a vain bastard when he was still in Konoha, but training with Orochimaru took much of his time. He didn't have any time left to cut his hair.

He sat up on his bed, with much difficulty.

The room was bare, but he didn't really wish for lavish decorations. It was a relief to not find himself swamped by get-well cards. Though, he knew that Konoha wouldn't receive him warmly anyway. He found himself wishing for an explanation. Why was he saved?

Was it because of Naruto?

"Ch," Sasuke muttered angrily, looking at his bedside table. His gaze was caught by the most terrible handwriting he ever saw in his life.

There, scrawled on some cardboard paper, was Naruto's chicken-scratch: Stop scowling, it'll open up your face wounds, teme.

Despite the wounds and the hatred humming beneath his skin, Sasuke's bruised lips curled into an amused smirk.

"Still an idiot, huh..."

* * *

He fell asleep, which was probably good for his recovery. He didn't know, though, if he could still sleep through the angry voices that were inside his room.

"Why are you going to do that, Naruto?! Are you insane?!" Sakura's voice. She sounded distressed over something.

There was a sharp intake of breath. "It's my final decision, Sakura-chan," Naruto's voice sounded pleading and desperate. Sasuke wondered what could they be talking about; Naruto should _not_ sound desperate. It wasn't like him. He always found a way to solve a problem.

"Tsunade-sama! Please knock some sense to this idiot's head!" Sakura again.

A heavy sigh. "Look, gaki. You shouldn't do this. He's not your responsibility and you know that he's going-" The Godaime sounded like somebody died.

She was unable to finish her statement. An older male voice spoke. It wasn't very familiar with him. "Tsunade, Naruto has a reason for wanting to watch over him."

"He's going to-" Here, Sakura choked on her statement, and she broke down, crying.

He mentally frowned. Even after all this time, Sakura still liked crying. She might have improved, but it was still the same.

And then, Naruto spoke, in a voice that was determined, and filled with raw emotion.

"This is my final chance, Sakura-chan."

* * *

When Sasuke woke up again, he opened his eyes to see Sakura, the Godaime, and the last member of the Legendary Three. He frowned, or at least, tried to. Were they going to punish him so soon? Interrogate him about Orochimaru's base?

And his thoughts were stopped because Sakura was talking, just as he realized that Naruto wasn't here. "Sasuke-kun..." She said brokenly, softly, and Sasuke almost saw the young Sakura who was still looking up to him and beating up their other teammate. His lips curled into a nasty smirk, because even though Sakura would come back to their past... he couldn't be saved.

Even if Naruto did everything, -his determination, his _Kyuubi_- Sasuke would never be saved.

And then Sakura took a deep breath, and said in an emotionless voice, betrayed only by the grim looks on the two Sannins faces, and the melancholy in her emerald eyes.

And Sasuke's world shattered to a million pieces, once again.

"You've only got one week left to live."

* * *

**To Be Continued**

Anyhow, I was _finally _able to convince my mom (and more importantly, my doctor) to let me use my laptop even though I'm in the friggin' hospital :D

Thank you, everyone, for your support:)

**Please review :)**


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